1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for recording and/or reproducing information on and/or from an optical card and, more particularly, relates to an apparatus, in which not only information recorded on a normal data area formed on the optical card but also card identification information recorded on an area out of the normal data area can be reproduced without making the construction of the apparatus complex.
2) Prior Art
An optical card has a great memory capacity, which is several thousand to ten thousand times as large as a memory capacity of a magnet card. It is impossible to rewrite information data on the optical card as well as an optical disc, however, since the memory capacity of the optical card is great, i.e. about 1 to 2 mega bytes, the optical card is widely used in bankbooks, pocket maps, prepaid cards for shopping, etc.
Further, since it is impossible to rewrite information on the optical card, the optical card can be applied to personal health care cards, which should not have security against tampering with records.
Hitherto, many kinds of optical cards have been suggested; and the applicant has also suggested an optical card as shown in FIG. 1 in Japanese Patent Preliminary Publication No. 63-37876.
As shown in FIG. 1, on an optical card 11, is provided optical information recording area 13 which comprises a plurality of tracks 12. The tracks are extended in a longitudinal direction of the optical card 11, in parallel with each other. In the optical information recording area 13, there are provided track ID portions 14A and 14B at both end portions; and in the track ID portions, address information corresponding to each track 12 is recorded. Since the track ID portions 14A and 14B are arranged at both end portions of the optical information recording area 13, respectively, it is possible to read out track ID information from both sides of the optical card 11. Information data is recorded on a data portion 15, which is provided between track ID portions 14A and 14B. Therefore, when the optical card 11 is relatively moved from left side end to right side end in a track direction with respect to an optical head (hereinafter, the direction from left to right is called as "forward direction"), track address information recorded on the left side track ID portion 14A is read out by means of the optical head to identify address information corresponding to a relevant track. On the other hand, when the optical card 11 is moved from right side end to left side end (hereinafter, the direction from right to left is called as "rearward direction"), track address information recorded on the right side track ID portion 14B is read out by means of the optical head to identify the relevant track.
The track ID portions 14A and 14B are formed in the optical information recording portion 13 so as to be separated from both end portions of the optical card 11 by a given distance, for instance, 4 mm, inside therefrom, respectively. The reason why is that dust is apt to adhere on the end portions of the optical card 11 and flaws are apt to be formed thereon. In the optical card 11 show in FIG. 1, the track ID portions 14A and 14B are not affected by dust or flaws; additionally it is possible to make a relative moving speed of the optical card 11 and the optical head sufficiently stable during the period that the light beam generated from the optical head passes the outside of the track ID portions 14A and 14B. If the optical card 11 is constructed such that the distance between the track ID portions 14A and 14B and the respective end portions of the optical card 11, i.e. the outside of the track ID portions 14A and 14B, is short, it is possible to make the length of the data portion 15 long and then the memory capacity of the optical card 11 would increase; however, the relative moving speed of the optical card 11 and the optical head in the track direction would become slow and then an access time for recording/reproducing information data also would become slow. Therefore, in order to make the access time sufficiently fast and to increase the memory capacity of the optical card 11, it is necessary to accelerate the relative moving speed of the optical card 11 and the optical head sufficiently within the short outside portion of the track ID portion 14A (14B); to relatively move the optical card 11 with respect to the optical head at a constant speed in a stable manner from the left side ID portion 14A (right side ID portion 14B) to the right side ID portion 14B (left side ID portion 14A) via the data portion 15; and to suddenly decelerate the relative moving speed after the optical head has passed the right side ID portion 14B (left side ID portion 14A) to stop the optical card 11 within the short outside portion of the track ID portion 14B (14A).
FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing a whole construction of a conventional apparatus for recording/reproducing information on/from an optical card, in which the optical card 11 explained in the above can be used as an information recording medium. The apparatus is constructed such that the optical card 11 is reciprocally moved in the track direction and the optical head 21 is moved in a tracking direction, which is perpendicular to the track direction, to record/reproduce information data on/from the optical card 11.
The optical card 11 is mounted on a shuttle 24, which is arranged in a given position on a transfer belt 23, which is spread over between pulleys 22A and 22B. The shuttle 24 is reciprocally transferred in the track direction by driving a motor 26, under the control of a motor servo circuit 25. To the motor 26, is arranged a rotary encoder 27 to detect the position of the shuttle 24 with respect to the optical head 21. Controller 28 sends a command to the motor servo circuit 25 so as to make the transferring speed of the optical card 11 constant between the ID portions 14A and 14B on the basis of the positional information of the shuttle 24 detected by the rotary encoder 27.
An optical system arranged in the optical head 21 is constructed such that the so-called off-axial method is applied thereto. A light beam radiated from a laser diode 21A is made incident upon a collimator lens 21B, by which the diversed light beam is changed to a parallel light beam; the parallel light beam is separated into three light beams by a diffraction grating 21C; these three light beams are made incident upon an objective lens 21D being deviated from a center thereof; and then the three light beams are made incident upon the optical card 11. These three light beams are reflected by the optical card 11 and pass through the objective lens 21D again; and the progressive direction thereof is changed by 90 degrees by a mirror 21E; and then the light beams are focused on a photo detector 21G by a focusing lens 21F. The output of the photo detector 21G is supplied to a demodulating circuit 29 to obtain an information read out signal; and also supplied to a focus/track servo circuit 30 to detect a focus error signal and a tracking error signal.
The objective lens 21D is driven by actuators in a focusing direction and a tracking direction in such a manner that the light beam spots formed on the optical card 11 always trace the tracks in a focused condition on the basis of the focusing error signal and the tracking error signal.
The laser driving circuit 31, the motor servo circuit 25, demodulating circuit 29, focus/track servo circuit 30 and an optical head driving circuit 32 are controlled by the controller 28 in such a manner that when information data recorded on the tracks is reproduced, a light beam having a low power for reading out information data is generated from the laser diode 21A, and a desired track is sought on the basis of track address information thereof demodulated in the demodulating circuit 29; on the other hand, when information data is recorded on the optical card 11, a desired track is sought the as same as in the above procedure, and then a light beam having a high power for recording information data is generated from the laser diode 21A to record information data on the relevant track.
As stated above, since it is impossible to rewrite information data recorded on the optical card, the optical card would be put to practical use for recording personal information, for example, personal health care card and personal history record card. Almost all of the applications of the optical card would be related to private information and thus the protection therefor that data access from others is inhibited is important.
In order to carry out such protection, it is suggested that a cipher is recorded on the optical card like a banking cash card. However, if the cipher is recorded in the normal information recording/reproducing area, i.e. in the data portion 15 formed between the ID portions 14A and 14B, the cipher per se would be apt to be forged, and thus the security of the optical card would decrease. Therefore, card ID information for identifying the card per se, such as a cipher, is usually recorded on the outside of the optical information recording area 13 (normal data area) on the optical card 11.
Such card ID information data recorded on the outside of the normal data area cannot be read out with the aid of the conventional apparatus for recording/reproducing optical information explained in the above. In order to read out card ID information data it is necessary to provide another apparatus for reproducing card ID information data. However, if the other apparatus is provided, the apparatus for recording/reproducing as a whole would be complex and large, and further the cost for the apparatus would increase.